Greenwood Councilman Questions Process Behind Emergency Property Demolitions
GREENWOOD - At the Aug. 19 Greenwood City Council meeting council member, Charles McCoy ask if the board routinely approves emergency demolitions without scrutiny. "I hate to say that we vote on it. We don't go over it. We don't read the fine line or some of this stuff," he said, adding that a vacant lot with tall grass should not be classified as an emergency. He said he had been "getting a lot of phone calls" from residents saying the ordinance was "not carried out the proper way," and called for the council to revisit the policy and its documentation requirements.
The comments raise questions about whether the city's use of an emergency provision to remove dilapidated property meets the standard required under the ordinance, rather than serving as a shortcut around the usual due-process hearing typically required before such action is taken.